I must confess to feeling a little outraged! I feel a rant coming on….

I had a lengthy conversation with a colleague yesterday and we got around to (again) this notion that the Cert IV has become a meaningless piece of paper that for some reason anyone who wants to train feels compelled to have.

I don’t know what’s worse….that people feel compelled to have it and feel “choice-less”, or that some employers insist on using it as a recruitment benchmark.

*sigh*

I think that many people have missed the point. This qualification is not a general training qualification and was never meant to be. It was always a qualification that was required for people who were training in the Vocation Education & Training (VET) sector. So, if you wanted to teach at TAFE or at an RTO, you needed it.

And I get that. If you are training and assessing someone towards a formal qualification, you should be appropriately qualified.

What I don’t get is that trainers and facilitators who are working in corporate, government and not for profit environments running general skills training (communication, teamwork, time management) are not only getting the qual, but being forced to by their employers. It’s so not necessary….AND….generally it is not well taught. So much money being wasted on poor, poor training……*another sigh*.

Our recent research (which will be published in an upcoming article) showed that 64% who get the Cert IV are simply looking for the piece of paper. They go to the training without any expectation of learning anything! Seems gobsmacking to me that anyone would go to a training about training and learning and not expect to learn anything.

A bit sad, considering our research showed that the average spend for a Cert IV course was around $2,700.00. A lot of money for just a piece of paper!

The other thing our research showed is that of the 36% of people who did go hoping to actually learn something, only 12% felt that they learned something new. The remainder said that they did not add anything to their existing skill set.

What a waste of time and money!

I have decided that I am starting a cause! This cause is to rid the world of worthless Cert IV trainings that add no value! If people are going to spend time and money on a qualification, they should also expect to learn something of value!

So, I have designed a Cert IV course that I would be happy to attend. I have partnered with a like minded RTO and we are determined to provide people value for time and money! Check out the details here.

Let me know what you think!

Oh, and if you liked this rant…you would probably love the one from my colleague on the same topic, but with a slightly different spin, Di Granger.